The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-02-26

The sense of sight Is one OF the most
necessary, and vital of all our powers.
1t is a faculty that carries us beyond
ourselves, and reveals the glory and
beauty of the eternal world. Many of
the most agreeable and, may it not be
said, wonderful sensations of life are
realized by the gift of vision alone.
Without it nature is lost to view, and
the human soul shut in from the beauty
and grandeur of Gods handiwork.
We cannot prize too highly the gift
of seeing, and he, who goes through the
world without it, is robbed of many of
the higher joys of life. To see, then,
is to observe the varied objects of the
physical world. But is this all there is
to sight ? If so, any creature endowed
with eyes, is the equal of the most gift
ed person. The ant that we carelessly
brush from our foot-path, can see, and
indeed is possessed with wonderful
eyes outshining those of the fairest
maiden and vieing even with the flash
of her diamonds.
1t will scarcely do to say, however,
that this little insect beholds what we
see. 1t is presumed to know nothing
of sunset glory and starlight beauty.
Its vision does not inwrap the mount
aims or gather in the seas. No, it lives
in a world of its own, doubtless beauti-
full but correspondingly narrow. What
is true of this little creature applies to
all animal experience so far as known.
The mere fact then Of possessing
eyes is not enough. The eye is but a
window through which something or
some one looks. The window itself
cannot see; at most it but transmits
the light. What is seen is determined
by the capacity Of the seer. 1t is then
the seer who possesses the vision and
not the eye seeing. Your eyes placed
in another PERSONS head, would behold
in many respects widely different
field from what they now do. Our
experience, our education and our habits
of thought modify our view of life,
whether physical or intellectual. A
person unskilled in botany sees not
among the flowers what the cultivated
eye beholds. In the one case the mere
external is seen, while in the other the
inner beauty is traced from petal to
stamen. So again the geologist, as he
climbs the mountains, is looking for
specimens of feldspar or granite, while
the miner is searching for ore. On the
same height, perchance, stands an ar
fist. Do you think he is classifying
recks or separating ore ? MOI his Wis
ion stretches away through the valleys
and fields, on and up to the blazing
heavens. With pencil in hand he car
ries from that mountain top the glory
and beauty of the day, and preserves it
to all generations. Our view of the
universe depends, then, largely on taste
and temperament. We are led TO be-
lieve from the study of the text, that
mere object vision is not all it implies.
If we could only behold the material
universe narrow and insignificant would
our sight become. What then does the
good book mean when it says, "Where
there is no vision, the people perish ?"
In view of the capacity Of the human
mind, may we not consider its meaning,
at least in a two-fold light.
1st. The vision we employ in our earth
" experience. I'd. The vision we use in
our heavenly search. Please to keep in
mind that the Scriptures nowhere at
tempt to limit our vision. On the con-
tray, they declare where it is not en-
ployed, the people perish. We then are
called upon to look, and the more we
penetrate the mysteries of life, the less
likely are we to err. In our short pill
grimage in the flesh we ought to see all
we possibly can. Revelation and re-
ligion shut out nothing. They include
all things good. When told that you
must not look, rest assured such teach
ers are not followers of the truth. The
days of mystery are passing away, and
there opens before us world of order
and beauty. Shall we not gaze upon
it, and make it our own. Now, no mat
ter what our calling, if we see not we
perish. If we are mechanic or mer-
chant we need to study our calling I'M
til it becomes a vital part of US, re-
Numbering the while that other eyes
are looking in the same direction, and
the vision which sees the clearest is the
one that succeeds. If we are careless
and needless we cannot hope to prosper.
If nature has endowed US with an in
tellectual tendency, we must see to it
that our minds are skilled for the work.
If we have embraced the law, our eyes
must be quick to discern discrepancies
and contradictions in testimony, to fol-
low with lightning rapidity the various
meanings of the statutes, never losing
sight of the fundamental principles on
which our jurisprudence rests. If the
medical profession engages our atten-
ton we need a clearness of vision that
enables us to comprehend at once the
,ofr,ra 81 diuaaoa and itS prns,ar oyff